It is widely known that gas phase fluidized bed polymerization processes produce a diverse array of polymers. In such a process a continuous cycle is employed where in one part of the cycle, a cycling gas stream, otherwise known as a recycle stream or fluidizing medium, is heated in the reactor by the heat of polymerization. This heat is removed in another part of the cycle by a cooling system external to the reactor.
Generally in a gas fluidized bed process for producing polymer from monomers a gaseous stream containing one or more monomers is continuously cycled through a fluidized bed in the presence of a catalyst under reactive conditions. This gaseous stream is withdrawn from the fluidized bed and recycled back into the reactor. Simultaneously, polymer product is withdrawn from the reactor and new or fresh monomer is added to replace the polymerized monomer.
Conventionally in the past the temperature of the recycle stream entering the reactor could not be decreased below the dew point of the recycle stream. The dew point of the recycle stream is that temperature at which liquid condensate begins to form in the gaseous recycle stream. Later it was demonstrated as disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,543,399 and 4,588,790 to Jenkins, III, et al. that a recycle stream can be cooled to a temperature below the dew point in a fluidized bed polymerization process resulting in condensing a portion of the recycle stream. The resulting recycle stream containing entrained liquid is then returned to the reactor. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,543,399 and 4,588,790 to Jenkins, III, et al. are herein fully incorporated by reference. For the purposes of this patent application the process of purposefully introducing a recycle stream having a liquid and a gas phase into a reactor such that the weight percent of liquid based on the total weight of the recycle stream is greater than about 2.0 weight percent is defined to be operating a gas phase polymerization process in a "condensed mode".
The catalyst system described in Jenkins, III, et al. is a TiCl.sub.3 based traditional Ziegler-Natta catalyst system. Using this catalyst system in a condensed mode operation results inevitably in process and product constraints as will become apparent later in this specification. The process limitations limit production rates and significantly increase the cost of producing polymers. Also, as a direct consequence of using these traditional catalysts in this process the polymers available for production are restricted to certain densities and melt indices.
Polymer production rates and characteristics can be controlled to give a desired melt index and density in a gas phase fluidized bed reactor. In operation of a gas phase fluidized bed reactor, the process is a closed system. Changes in the process of one or more reactor conditions can lead to consequential changes elsewhere in the system. Therefore, great care is taken to avoid conditions which lead to chunking, sheeting, fluidized bed collapse, reaction termination and reactor shut-down. There are target values, determined by the polymer to be produced and the catalyst, for the operating temperature, the ratio of comonomer(s) to monomer and the ratio of hydrogen to monomer. Traditional catalyst systems and polymer produced therewith restrict these values, and as a direct consequence of this, drastically reduce production rates achievable for any given polymer being produced. Furthermore, these traditional catalysts and catalyst systems limit the type and characteristics of the polymer.
Therefore a need exists for a gas phase polymerization process that allows for the extension of the target values heretofore limited. Extending these values beyond that which was achievable in the past will allow for the operation of a gas phase fluidized bed polymerization reactor at significantly higher production rates and of the production of polymer grades at a significantly reduced cost not heretofore envisaged.